We make materials using living mycelium, the root part of fungi or mushrooms. Fungi are a versatile species which have a myriad of applications for solving several environmental problems, and we are just getting started on a few. Currently, we are working on two mycelium based biofabrication solutions - namely packaging material and also brick panels. The packaging material is a direct alternative to styrofoam or thermocol in packaging; our material is fire resistant, water resistant and also takes the shape of any mould it is placed into. The brick panels on the other hand, are heat and sound absorbent, and are an affordable cooling solution for homes.
Mycelium is the thin root like structure of fungi, called hyphae. The term ‘wood-wide-web’ comes from latticed root structures of mycelium in the topsoil of forest floors, which helps moisture, information and nutrient exchange from one end of the forest to another. Long before the internet was born, mycelium was doing the same work and much more for forests. This is because mycelium is an intelligent living being which finds the fastest path from a nutrient source to the host. When mycelium is paired with organic materials, it binds to the fibres and takes up the organic material as food in order to grow. This is how biomaterials are created.
Mycelium based vegan leather, and a water purification solution that removes heavy metals and microplastics from water sources.
About a decade ago, Sharada stumbled upon a documentary which spoke about plastic-eating mushrooms. This was about a solution called the Fungi Mutarium, which utilises UV light, Agar Agar solution and a specific species of mushrooms to break down plastics. As she delved deeper, she understood that the efficiency of this application was quite low, but it took her down a research rabbit hole that expanded her idea of what exactly mycelium was capable of. From eating away at radioactive materials to cleaning up oil spills in oceans to biofabrication applications to being able to remediate cigarette butts, mycelium had a lot to offer. Sharada’s independent research taught her many things, which she is applying practically to build the Micelium Project LLP right now.
